Review #12: One of the Few by Jason B. Ladd

one of the few: a marine fighter pilot’s RECONNAISSANCE of the christian worldview by jason b. ladd

I was lucky enough to be approached by the author of this book to receive an ARC e-book copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.Description: Stand-alone, non-fiction Christian book for adults (but content-wise, suitable for all ages in my opinion)
Release Date: November 10, 2015
First Line: The navy pilot looked down toward the fast approaching earth speckled with desert brush.
Purchase: This book has not yet been released but if you’re interested in finding out when and where you’ll be able to get your own copy of this book you can sign up for email updates on the author’s website here.

synopsis (provided by the author)

Unsatisfied with his secular worldview, author and Iraq War Veteran Jason B. Ladd shares the struggles he faced during his search for truth and a reasonable defense of the Christian faith.
His mission began with a realization: though ready to defend his country, he was unprepared for his most important missions as a husband and father. Drawing from his military experience, Ladd warns seekers about spiritual apathy and teaches Christians tactics for withstanding spiritual attacks. Birthed from a legacy of service, One of the Few speaks from the spirit of a man reborn—with the soul of a Marine, the mind of a fighter, the heart of a father, and a commitment to the Son. Join him as he uses fighter pilot fundamentals to embark on the greatest mission of all: the pursuit of truth.

PROS & CONS

I wasn’t too sure what to expect going into this book. I love reading and learning more about Christianity but non-fiction is never my strong suit. I have a hard time keeping track of all the dates and events, and honestly reading about things that aren’t real and serious is just usually more fun for me. Not only that, but since this book largely tells stories from the author’s time as a Marine, I was worried that all of the military vocabulary and phrasing would be way over my head, making it hard for me to enjoy it.
However, I was very pleasantly surprised. Ladd does an awesome job of explaining the military terms he uses and using very relatable examples to make it easier to understand. It was fun to see how he used his own story and references to things like The Simpsons, The Sounds of Music, and Harry Potter to strengthen and add details to the points he was making.
One thing I found interesting about this book is that it didn’t exactly read like one continuous story. The book is broken up into three parts. Within those parts you have chapters and within those chapters there were broken up little sections that told a little story and then usually connected back to the Bible, showing what we could learn from it. In this way, I thought the book was really nice because it almost read like a devotional if you chose to read it over time, bit by bit, instead of in huge chunks at once.
My favorite thing about the book was the quotes at the beginning of each section. There would be one quote from a non-believer, and then a quote from the Bible or from a Christian that completely contradicts the first quote. It was cool to see the misconceptions disproved. I also loved the fact that I read this on my Kindle because it was so easy to highlight and make notes on my favorite quotes.
My only issues with this book is that sometimes it seemed like the connections from the short story bits back to the life lessons and Bible were a bit of a stretch. There were a bunch of really interesting ones, but some seemed unnecessary and forced. There were also some cases where Ladd seemed to do too good of a job explaining certain military things, when it wasn’t too important to the story. I know some people would probably really enjoy getting all of the details, but personally it seemed like a little too much.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from reading it. While it was serious and non-fiction, a couple of the stories had me laughing out loud. It’s definitely not a light and fluffy read, but it is incredibly interesting and didn’t bore me. I would highly recommend Christians who are looking to gain more perspective on their faith and further their knowledge of Christianity to give this book a chance – I really liked it.

4/5 stars

Thank you to the author, Jason B. Ladd, for not only providing me with a copy of his book but for his service to our country.
If you’re interested in hearing more about this book and making sure you’ll be able to get a copy yourself, check out the author’s website at: http://www.jasonbladd.com/
Thanks for reading! 🙂